Edhil O Gurth
by DaisyInTheWild
Summary: When Legolas and the Sons of Elrond rescue an injured Elleth, they do their best to help her recover. But all is not as it seems...And a threat walks unnoticed within the Last Homely House. (Chapter 4: "Ai. This is not good.")
1. Prologue

_Hi all, Daisy here- once known as Daisymall13. Edhil O Gurth began roughly 10 years ago- So this has taken a while to finish. please let me know what you think. reviews feed me._

 _I don't own LotR. But if Legolas is on offer I'll take him…_

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The four horses pounded through the forest, their hooves sending up a cloud of dust in the tracks. So tightly together were they clustered, that it seemed as if they were but one large shape.

The riders, each hidden under dark cloaks crouched low, perfectly poised as the horses seemed to fly along the winding road. To those they passed it would seem as if they were on a mission of great importance- or perhaps that they were being pursued by a great army of Orcs.

As the horses gracefully jumped a fallen tree in the road, one of the horses- one as dark as the night, save for a small streak of white in his mane- seemed to pull ahead, a stride before the others. There was a cry of triumph as, without warning, the horse seemed to quicken as he pulled further ahead.

His rider stretched up, tall and proud as he released a whoop of celebration. Behind him the other riders pulled their horses to a stop, each of them murmuring quietly to their mounts.

The smallest of the riders brushed his hood back, watching as the winning rider re-joined the group, a large smile on his face.

"Elladan, must you celebrate so? It is most embarrassing to witness!" he called to the raven haired elf in front of him, teasing. Elladan let out a laugh, grinning broadly.

"Estel, don't be so hasty to accuse me of embarrassment. If I recall correctly, the last time you won you practically skipped everywhere for a week. Elrohir and I had to lock you away to keep you from scaring away Adar's guests!" He glanced over at his twin, who only hummed in agreement.

"I was barely seventeen at the time, Brother! It was the first time I'd managed to win- I was bound to be happy about it!" The final member of the group, a lithe, blonde elf let out a laugh.

"You were a little more than happy _mellon nin_ , if I recall correctly, you told _everyone_ you ran into about it- for several days afterwards!"

"Legolas, I would call that an exaggeration…Two days, perhaps. And it wasn't _everyone…"_

 _"_ Ony because we locked you up before you could."

"If we are done bickering, I think we should continue on." Elrohir cut in, glancing over his shoulder at the empty road. "The sun will be gone in a few hours, and I would like to return home before then."

"In that case, we shall save this debate for a later time. Come- let us continue our race!" Legolas agreed, before kicking his horse forward. "Last one to arrive stables the horses!

With shouts of protest, the other three were quick to follow.

They continued on for several minutes, laughing freely and calling happily to each other. But all of a sudden, Legolas and Elrohir –who had pulled ahead- slowed their horses before stopping completely. They shared a glance as the other two members of their group pulled up along side them, Elladan eyeing his twin with a frown.

"Do you hear something?" Estel asked, his tone hushed as his hand fell to the sword that was secured at his side. Legolas tilted his head for a moment.

"There is something moving through the trees ahead. Something that does not belong there."

"It is too light for Orcs to be out as of yet...But I have a sense of uneasiness." Elrohir replied, his voice low.

"The trees here are unsettled- something lies ahead." Legolas added. "We must be prepared."

"We will continue on slowly, then. There should be a patrol not much farther along this road- if there is someone up to no good, they will be discovered." Elladan decided, drawing his sword. Beside him Estel followed suit as both Legolas and Elrohir reached for their bows.

"If need be, we will dismount and scout ahead."

The others nodded and Elrohir motioned his horse to move forward, leading the group onwards. The other three followed wordlessly, each falling into a familiar defensive pattern as they rode forward, unsure of what would be waiting for them. A few minutes passed by, their silence only interrupted by the occasional call of a bird high above. But then, as they rounded the bend…

"What in the name if Illuvatar…"

There, lying crumpled in the road, was an Elf.

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 **Let me know what you think in the reviews!**

 **~Daisy**


	2. Questions

**DISCLAIMER** \- All characters recognised within this fanfiction belong the Tolkien Estate.

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It was a peaceful day in Imladris. The late afternoon sun warmed the buildings, and a soft breeze gently rustled through the surrounding trees.

The Lord of Imladris, Elrond, was just sitting down with a glass of wine, when there was a knock on the door of the Library. With a sigh, he placed the glace down.

"Enter." He called. The door creaked open, an a young Elleth stepped inside with a curtsey.

"My Lord, there is a horse approaching quickly from the South. There are two riders."

Elrond grimaced, needing no more information.

"Thank you Lómónduil. Send for Erestor- and please see to it that the Healers are prepared. I have no doubt their services will be required."" he asked quickly leaving the room.

"Of course, My Lord!" The Elleth curtsied once more, before hurrying away.

Quickly, Elrond made his way down to the courtyard, intent on meeting the rider at the gate. He couldn't help but wonder as to who it was approaching. He had no doubt that it would be one of his Sons, or the son of Thranduil. It was not uncommon that they would find trouble when in each other's company- though each of them were fearless warriors, as a group, they seemed to be a magnet for the enemy. Elrond tried not to think of the last time they had all staggered through the gates, each of them close to death.

He reached the gates as they opened, just as the horse came into view.

As Erestor helped to lower the injured passenger off of the horse and on to a waiting litter, Elrond allowed himself to take in the blonde Prince, seemingly unscathed, as he gracefully dismounted.

"Legolas, what has happened?" he demanded as the young Elf approached, bowing his head in greeting.

"I am afraid I have very little information. Your Sons and I found her unconscious and injured in the road, just near the old oak bridge. Once they had tended to her wounds, I volunteered to bring her here while they remained to search for any clues as to who she is." The Prince sighed, watching as the litter vanished into the House of Healing. "Do you recognise her, My Lord?"

"No." Elrond answered, sounding troubled. "I do not recall ever laying eyes on her before." The Elf Lord paused before placing a hand on Legolas' shoulder. "Fear not- all shall be revealed in time." He smiles slightly.

"Aye- but something is troubling me, Lord Elrond. For an Elleth to be left to die on the road…"

"We will discuss what has happened once the others have arrived. For now, you should tend to your horse."

"Of course, My Lord." Legolas bowed his head once more, watching as the Imaldris Lord turned, quickly making his way into the House of Healing.

Legolas sighed as he walked towards the stables, leading his tired mare behind him. After a quick brush and ensuring she had enough food and water, he settled down to wait for the twins and Estel.

It wasn't long until they arrived, leading their tired horses into their stalls. Elladan nodded as he passed by, followed by Estel.

" _Mellon nin_ how is she?" Estel called over as soon as he spotted his friend. Behind him, Elrohir entered last with not one, but two horses in tow.

"I have no word as of yet. But your Father is with her now. Where did you find this beauty?" He inquired as he stepped forward, gently patting the horse's neck. The grey beauty looked down at him, letting out a soft whinny.

"He was tied to a tree not far from where we found her. He did not seem too pleased about us approaching but a carrot was enough to win him over." Elrohir explained as he led the horse into a stall.

"He had a small pack strapped to his saddle, as well as a small-sword." Elladan continued.

"Not to mention these." Elrohir added, holding out a bow and a quiver of arrows. Legolas reached over, taking the bow in hand to examine it. It was well crafted, and clearly well loved- _or well used,_ Legolas thought grimly as he handed them back.

"This was also nearby, hidden under a bush. We would have missed it, if it weren't for Elladan's sharp eyes." Estel stepped forward this time, holding out a cloth wrapped dagger for Legolas to see. It took only a small glance to make out the dark red stain on the cloth, transferred from the blade itself.

"You believe this is the weapon used against her?" Legolas asked, somberly, looking between the brothers.

"No, Legolas. The blade does not match her wounds." Elrohir replied, his voice quiet. "We believe she may have been using it in self defense. Though, there was no sign of the other party."

"I-"

Before Legolas could reply, a loud scream filled the air.

"Ai, Valar."


	3. A Name

A loud scream was the first sign that the injured Elleth was awake.

Erestor would have certainly preferred a far more gentle warning, as the Elven Lord was not a fan of throwing bandage rolls halfway across a room. Instead of chasing the rolls as the bounced across the room he instead turned to face the Elleth, who now sat straight up in the bed. Her hair was flung wildly around her, a deep bruise marring the left side of her face. Her hazel eyes were wide and wild as she opened her mouth to scream again.

Elrond moved quickly to soothe her, his voice gentle.

"Hush, young one! You are perfectly safe here. No harm will come to you while you are under this roof." He assured her, holding his hands out in a sign of peace as he carefully sat on the edge of the bed.

The elleth watched him for a moment, slowly taking in his words. Eventually she seemed to relax ever so slightly.

"Where am I?" She demanded, eyes darting between Erestor and Elrond.

"You are in Imladris- in the care of Master Elrond himself." Erestor informed her, sharing a glance with Elrond. "Can you tell us your name?"

"I…I do not know it, my Lord." The reply was quiet, unsure. Her hand seemed to reach up to the hollow of her neck, as if to touch a necklace that no longer rested there. "I feel as if… As If a dark cloud fills my mind."

"Atar!" The door suddenly flew open as the three Sons of Elrond tumbled into the room- seemingly responding to the scream. A moment later Arwen slipped into the room behind them.

"Is all well?" Estel asked as he took in the occupants of the room. "We heard a scream and feared the worst!"

"Estel feared the worst. We simply followed out of curiosity." Legolas added, attempting to lighten the mood.

"All is well- our new friend was frightened when she awoke in a strange place." Elrond assured them, his eyebrows slightly raised at the small group.

"Unfortunately, it seems that she is unable to tell us who did this to her- nor can she tell us what her name is. "

"I believe we may be able to assist with that- we think her name may be Luhtarë, Atar. We found this on the path, not far from where we found her." Estel stepped forward holding out a wooden pendant. The Lord of Imladris took it, quickly turning it over in his hand. A faint rose was painted on one side of the slightly damaged pendant. On the other side was the name _Luhtarë,_ carved in tiny letters.

He frowned slightly before turning his attention to his patient once more.

"Luhtarë- does the name sound familiar to you at all?" He asked.

"It…It does not sound _unfamiliar."_ She responded, rather unhelpfully. "I feel as if I should know it." The elleth looked down at her hands.

"Until your memory returns- or we find a clue to tell us otherwise, I believe it would be best if we refer to you as Luhtarë. It is far better than no name." Elrond half smiled.

"My daughter, Arwen will assist you if you need anything else." He gestured to Arwen, who gently inclined her head with a smile as she stepped forward.

"Would you like for me to remain with you for a while? I can tell you all about Imladris if you'd like." She offered. The injured Elleth seemed to hesitate before nodding slowly.

"I would enjoy that, Lady Arwen. Thank you."

While Arwen quietly began to converse with Luhtarë, Elrond turned to the others.

"Erestor, the moment Glorfindel returns from his Patrol I would ask that you brief him of what has happened. He should arrive by noon tomorrow morning, if all is well." Erestor nodded.

"Of course- until then, I believe I may remain here. If Luhtarë's memories return, it would be best if one of us were here to hear what she remembers."

"Good thinking." Elrond agreed, smiling slightly. "The rest of you, I ask that you assist me in looking into this…mystery. I think it would be best if we began with some research." He held up the pendant that Estel had discovered. "I believe this symbol may be a clue of some sort, as is the name Luhtarë."

"I'll have food and tea sent to you." Elrond assured them.

"Perhaps some wine as well?" Elladan suggested, a twinkle in his eye. "Tea is all well and good, but I'd prefer something stronger to keep me awake."

"We shall see, Ion Nin." Elrond responded, quirking an eyebrow in amusement. "Now, go. The sooner we find something the better."

Legolas, Elladan and Estel simply nodded in response, quickly leaving the room. Elrohir moved to follow before pausing, catching his Father's eye. Understanding the unspoken request Elrond nodded, following Elrohir out of the room and into the corridor.

"Atar, I have a feeling of unrest. I cannot place my finger on the reason why." Elrohir sighed, his grey eyes meeting those of his Father. "It troubles me." He confessed. Elrond reached out, laying a comforting hand on the younger twin's arm.

"Whatever it is, Ion Nin, shall be revealed in time. Until then, we must remain vigilant." The Elf Lord replied quietly.

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Please review if you're reading! Reviews encourage updates!


	4. Searching

_The silence within the vast Library was unnerving._

With a frustrated sigh, Estel slammed the heavy book in front of him shut before collapsing back into his chair. He reached for his tea, taking a large gulp. He immediately regretted doing so as the liquid proved to be stone cold.

"I give up. We have read through ever single book within this section of the Library. If we were going to find the information we're searching for, we would have by now." Legolas groaned, slowly closing the book in his lap. "Surely we are wasting time-"

"We are not wasting time." Elladan cut him off. "An unknown, injured Elleth has seemingly appeared out of thin air, within the borders of Imladris. Time spent attempting to assist her cannot be considered a waste."

"Perhaps we are simply going about this the wrong way." Elrohir mused, standing to stretch. Estel, Elladan and Legolas shared a look of confusion.

"What do you propose we try instead, brother?" Legolas asked. "Reading the books back to front?"

"No." Elrohir rolled his eyes. "What I mean is we are trying to find information on Luhtare, yet we are ignoring the best source we could have."

"Which is?"

"Her own mind." Estel cut in. "But she doesn't remember anything, Elrohir! What do you suppose we do?"

Elrohir grinned, turning to look out of the window overlooking the surrounding forest.

"I think it is time we introduced her to her horse."

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It was late in the afternoon when Arwen found herself slowly making her way towards the Healing Hall, her mind set on spending time with Luhtare.

Just as she reached the door to Luhtare's room, it flew open . Arwen barely had time to step back, before the Healer rushed passed, head bowed low. She watched as the Healer continued to hurry down the hall, before shaking her head and stepping into the room.

Luhtare sat on the edge of the bed, staring out of the window. She turned her head softly as Arwen closed the door behind her with a soft click.

"Forgive my intrusion, Luhtare. But I thought you may be lonely."

Luhtare smiled softly, humming.

"I would not deny your company, Lady Arwen. I would greatly appreciate it." She replied as the daughter of Elrond gently sat down beside her. "I have been alone with my thoughts for far too long."

"What are your thoughts, Luhtare?"

"I am trying to make sense of my… situation. There's several details I can't quite understand- I cannot remember _anything_ about myself. Yet I can still remember how to read, how to write…"

"Your memory is separate to your functions, _mellon nin._ It is quite common for a warrior to return home from war with no memory of himself- yet when asked, he still remembers how to use his weapon. It is strange, yet… understandable." Arwen reassured her, reaching to place a hand on her shoulder in comfort.

With a sudden jolt, Luthare pulled away, as if the gentle touch had caused great pain.

"Luhtare, I am sorry! I did not mean to cause you pain…"

"It is nothing, Lady Arwen. You just touched a particularly tender wound, is all." The _elleth_ smiled slightly. "Forgive me, but I suddenly feel extremely tired- would you mind if I excused myself?"

"Oh, of course. Perhaps I could return tomorrow, when you are feeling better?"

"I would like that, My Lady." She replied with another gentle smile.

"In that case, I look forward to our next conversation." With a small sigh and a bow of her head, Arwen turned and left the room.

She never saw how the gentle smile slowly twisted into a glare.

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It was well past midnight when Lord Elrond wandered back into the dark library, candle in hand- His mind would not allow him to rest at this time. His hand wandered over the leather bound spines of the books as he passed them, some unread in centuries. There was something about the texture of the large texts that brought comfort to his troubled mind. Eventually he stopped, his fingers lingering on a particularly large, yet unmarked book.

He carefully pulled it from the shelf, carrying it over to a nearby reading desk. He lit another lamp before slowly opening the dusty cover, settling in for what he knew would be several hours of reading. He turned page after page, his frustration rising as he continued to discover nothing but useless information. One hour turned into two as his eyes began to close against his will, his shoulders beginning to slouch.

As he turned the next page, he mentally decided that he would have to return the next day to continue his research with fresh eyes and mind-

-and then, something caught his attention.

He read it once- twice. He read it a third time, barely breathing.

He sat back, his mind racing with the information he'd just discovered.

"Ai. This is not good."

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Uh, is anyone reading this? If so, please let me know.


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